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Maize (Zea mays L.) is a chilling-sensitive plant. Chilling stress in the early seedling stage seriously limits the growth, development, productivity and geographic distribution of maize. Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant growth regulator involved in the defenses against abiotic and biotic stresses as well as in plant development. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of foliar applied SA on different maize inbred lines under chilling stress are unclear. Two inbred lines, cold-sensitive cv. C546 and cold-tolerant cv. B125, were used to study the effects of SA on the growth and physiology of maize seedlings. The results showed that the application of SA at 50 mg/L on the leaves of maize seedlings under 4 °C decreased the relative electrolyte conductivity (REC) and the malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (H2O2 and O2−) content due to increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity; SA also improved photosynthesis in the seedlings through increased chlorophyll content, enhanced Pn and Gs, and decreased Ci. SA application also increased the proline content and the relative water content (RWC) in the maize seedlings, thereby improving their osmotic adjustment capacity. The increase rate caused by SA of plant height and dry weight in C546 were 10.5% and 5.4% higher than that in B125 under 4 °C. In conclusion, SA promotes maize seedling growth and physiological characteristics, thus enhancing chilling resistance and the effect of SA on the chilling resistance of cold-sensitive cv. was stronger than that on cold-tolerant cv. at the low temperature.